Mirkwood's Prince
by PrincessPrettyPantsSaysNo
Summary: On the way to a summer banquet in Rivendel, Estel and Legolas are entangled in a twisted plot to gain access into Mirkwood. With lives at stake, and a dangerous game at play how far will Aragorn and Legolas go to save Mirkwood and themselves?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I do not own anything Lord of The Rings! This is my first story and any flames will be fed to my pet dragon. Also, let me know what you think as I am trying hard to make this happen.

Chapter 1

"I told you this was a stupid idea." Aragorn says as we race passed the trees of one of Rivendell's lesser-known side paths.

"I mean _really,_ how stupid are you Legolas? Legolas? Are you even listening to me?!" He says with an annoyed tone. For a human of only nineteen summers, he has become quite a man, yet time and again I see a small hint of the impatient, small child that floats to the surface in an attempt at making a small appearance.

"Calm yourself Estel. We will make it in time." I say to him. He huffs at me in a surprisingly horse like manner before edging his stallion into a swift canter. The spring air is cool on my skin and I look up to the sky. I can tell that we have at least an hour to reach the home of Elrond before the festivities begin.

A breeze lifts my hair off of my shoulders and the leaves seem to whisper to each other, as though they are keeping a secret from us. There is something beautiful about the peace surrounding us. Almost too beautiful, as though time itself decided to stop for a moment to take it in.

As I exhale, I can hear the sound of a branch being ripped off of a tree up ahead. The scream of the old oak seems to overwhelm my mind and at that moment the silence of the forest is broken by an overwhelming cry of pain, one of the forest itself.

"Estel!" I say to the man a few paces in front of me. "We seem to have uninvited companions on our journey." And just as I finish those words, I hear the sound of an arrow being released from its bow. The twang of the bow string my only warning of the projectile coming my way.

"Legolas!" I hear Estel yell as I lean sharply to my right, just barely avoiding the arrow aimed at my back. I quickly fling my leg over my horse's back and pull mu weapons out of their sheathes on my back. On my left I can see Estel dismounting and drawing his sword.

"Go" I tell my mare, before she takes off into the surrounding trees. We couldn't be more than half an hour's ride from Rivendel. She leaves in her mists a sparkling, tan cloud of dust giving perfect cover to look to Estel. I can see his unease.

Another arrow is released; it lands right behind my left heel, just missing the back of my boot. Then another, this one scrapes my left bicept. Hissing in pain I look over to seen Estel not faring any better.

Invisible, unknown enemies surround us.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a patch of a brown tunic hiding near the trunk of the mutilated oak tree. Quickly I fire an arrow at it, hoping that I can at least scare them off. I hear a thud and look back to the fabric.

"It's a human. A young man." Estel says to me. We are being attacked by humans?

"Why would they attack us? What have we done to a group of humans so close to Rivendel?" I say outloud. The thought distracts me for a moment, yet that is all they seem to need.

"Legolas!" I hear Estel say, simultaneously I feel a dull thump hitting into my shoulder. As the momentum forces me back, I can see Elladan and Elrohir galloping up the path along with a group of five soldiers and my beautiful palamino mare leading the group. Another arrow pierces my thigh as I fall, and I can see the worried faces of my companions as they approach closer, yet too far away to do much.

"They are coming!" A voice in the trees shouts. The world is starting to tilt.

"But the Prince!" Another voice. The edges of my vision are starting to fade.

"…more opportunities…" A different voice. My eyelids are starting to droop.

"Legolas don't!" But it is too late. My head is too heavy and I am just so tired. The last thing I hear is the retreat of our unknown foes and the approach of one human and seven very elvin footsteps. As my eyes close I see the faces of my friends-my brothers- staring down at me with fear in their eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I do not own anything Lord of The Rings! This is my first story and any flames will be fed to my pet dragon. I was planning to let it sit and wait a little longer but I was just so excited and on a roll. Thank you to anyone who has reviewed (you know who you are), and sorry, in truth I was planning to upload two days ago but work and life tend to get in the way of things. Anyways, here you go!

 _ **Chapter 2**_

It happened in slow motion. The dust, the arrows, the fall; it seemed to take an eternity between the fist and second hit. I watched the widening of his eyes, the registering of pain on his features before beginning his elegant descent.

"Legolas!" I scream to him at the top of my lungs. He tilts his head to look over at me, surprised fear spread across his expression like mud on a window. His eyes have a slight glaze over them, as if he is aware of me but not focused on me.

In the distance, I can hear the sound of horse hoofs pounding the earth. I look over to the sound. After a few seconds, I can see Legolas's horse followed by my brothers and a group of five elvin warriors coming our way.

My brothers look like birds, their cloaks flowing in the wind and billowing out behind them. Elladan reaches us first; his eyes are taking in the situation, fear blooming on his face. Elrohir soon joins him, coming up on his right side, and as a group we kneel down next to Legolas.

"Oh valar." Elladan whipers under his breathe, the calm quickly melting off of his face and replaced with a vivid panic.

"We need to work fast. Estel, give me your cloak." Elrohir says without looking up at us. Legolas's eyes are closing.

"No! Legolas open them for me. They cannot be closed. Legolas!" He says with strength. I know that he is faking. Elladan starts tapping Legolas's cheek, trying to get him to open his eyes as I pass my cloak to Elrohir. He grabs it like a lie line.

"I need water! Haldir!" yells Elrohir while checking the arrow wounds. "They are shallow enough to pull out, Estel."

Haldir returns with three water skins and a bag of healing herbs that Ada makes the twins carry for moments like this.

"Elladan, hold down his arms, Haldir, his legs. Estel, you are going to keep his head on your lap. This is going to hurt him, and he doesn't need a concussion to go along with the wounds. Got it?" Elrohir barks out the orders like a professional- Ada has taught him well. "On the count of three we will pull the shoulder." I braced myself for the torment of what was to come.

"One. Two" he says as his hand tightens around the shaft protruding from my best friend. "Three," he says quietly as he begins to pull the arrow. Legolas's body tenses in the arms of Elladan and Haldir as he fights to flee the pain. Even in unconsciousness he cannot escape, most likely he was still partially aware of his body, if not his surroundings. I looked at the sweaty face in my lap, eyebrows furrowed in unimaginable pain. Without anything else to do, I try to smooth the hair on his forehead as a way to calm him, even though it doesn't do much.

And just as I thought it couldn't get any worse, Legolas goes limp again and I see the arrow in Elrohir's bloody hands. Legolas is panting hard and sweating profusely, but at least he unfurled his eyebrows a little.

"Water, Estel, can you please pass me the water?" And I do, if only to do something helpful. He grabs it quickly and pours it onto the wound, then covers it with the cloak and presses down hard. Legolas whimpers and I gently brush his sweaty hair out of his face.

"You are alright, my friend. Peace, Legolas, you are with friends." I coo to him as Erohir bandages his shoulder.

"Estel," he sighs, but does not open his eyes.

"Legolas," I say loudly and clearly. "Do you hear me?" He does not respond verbally but moves his head to the side. By now, all eyes are turned to him.

"Legolas, you have been hit twice. I have removed the first arrow but I must remove the second." Elrohir says slowly and with a clear voice. "Estel, we are going to lean him up on you. I need you to support him while we work on his leg."

Elladan puts his arms under legolas's shoulders while haldir get his legs and together they gently lean legolas against Aragorn.

"No" Legolas breathes out.

"Legolas, we have to do this. There is no other way." Haldir says to him softly.

"No" Legolas responds as he begins to thrash in Aragorn's arms.

"Please Legolas. Don't make this difficult" I beg. Legolas has always had this terrible habbit of being painfully stubborn at the worst of times. Especially during medical emergencies, always insisting that he is "fine."

"We don't have time for this. Legolas is delirious with pain and he will thank us for this later." Elrohir says as he soaks a rag in a potion from his medical bag. "Elladan, hold this to his nose and mouth. His fighting will injure him worse and he cannot afford to lose anymore blood." The rag is slapped into Elladan's hand quickly and he goes to do as Elrohir instructed while I grab Legolas's arms to prevent him from moving.

"Please forgive me," Elladan says before putting the cloth over Legolas's face. At first nothing happens and Legolas continues to thrash his head back and forth but after a few moments, the movement slows to a stop and Legolas goes limp as his eyes close.

"Leave the cloth there for a few more seconds, just while I am getting myself in order," Elrohir says. There is a collective relieved sigh among the group, as if we were all holding our breath in fear of the worst.

When Elrohir is ready, Haldir cuts away the fabric of Legolas's leggings from the wound. The cloth is removed from Legolas's face and the arrow is removed in one smooth pull. Before the bandage is applied, Elrohir checks the wound one more time.

"What should we do now Elrohir?" I ask as we carefully lay Legolas down.

"I don't know…We need to get him to Ada," he says as we all look towards our ailing friend.


End file.
